Bibliorum

 

Ezekiel 38

Study

   

1 HE ENs Ord kom til mig således:

2 Menneskesøn, vend dit Ansigt mod Gog i Magogs Land, Fyrsten over osj, Mesjek og Tubal, og profeter imod ham

3 og sig: Så siger den Herre HE EN: Se, jeg kommer over dig, Gog, Fyrste over osj, Mesjek og Tubal.

4 Jeg vender dig og sætter Kroge i dine Kæber og trækker dig frem med hele din Hær, Heste og yttere, alle i smukke Klæder, en vældig Skare med store og små Skjolde, alle med Sværd i Hånd.

5 Persere, Ætiopere og Putæere er med dem, alle med Skjold og Hjelm,

6 Gomer med alle dets Hobe, Togarmas Hus fra det yderste Nord med alle dets Hobe, mange Folkeslag er med.

7 ust dig og hold dig rede med hele din Skare, som er samlet om dig, og vær mig rede til Tjeneste.

8 Lang Tid herefter skal der komme Bud efter dig; ved Årenes Fjende skal du overfalde et Land, som atter er unddraget Sværdet, et Folk, som fra mange Folkeslag er sanket sammen på Israels Bjerge, der stadig lå øde hen, et Folk, som er ført bort fra Folkeslagene og nu bor trygt til Hobe.

9 Du skal trække op som et Uvejr og komme som en Sky og oversvømme Landet, du og alle dine Hobe og de mange Folkeslag, som følger dig.

10 siger den Herre HE EN: På hin Dag skal en Tanke stige op i dit Hjerte, og du skal oplægge onde åd

11 og sige: "Jeg vil drage op imod et åbent Land og overfalde fredelige Folk, som bor trygt, som alle bor uden Mure og hverken har Portstænger eller Porte,

12 for at gøre Bytte og røve ov, lægge Hånd på genopbyggede ruiner og på et Folk, der er indsamlet fra Folkene og vinder sig Fæ og Gods, og som bor på Jordens Navle."

13 Sabæerne og Dedaniterne, Tarsiss Købmænd og alle dets Handelsfolk skal sige til dig: "Kommer du for at gøre Bytte, har du samlet din Skare for at røve ov, for at bortføre Sølv og Guld, rane Fæ og Gods og gøre et vældigt Bytte?"

14 Profeter derfor, Menneskesøn, og sig til Gog: Så siger den Herre HE EN: Ja, på hin Dag skal du bryde op, medens mit Folk Israel bor trygt,

15 og komme fra din Hjemstavn yderst i Nord, du og de mange Folkeslag, der følger dig, alle til Hest, en stor Skare, en vældig Hær;

16 som en Sky skal du drage op mod mit Folk Israel og oversvømme Landet. I de sidste Dage skal det ske; jeg fører dig imod mit Land; og Folkene skal kende mig, når jeg for deres Øjne helliger mig på dig, Gog.

17 siger den Herre HE EN: Er det dig, jeg talede om i gamle dage ved mine Tjenere, Israels Profeter, som profeterede i hine Tider, at jeg vilde bringe dig over dem?

18 Men på hin dag, når Gog overfalder Israels Land, lyder det fra den Herre HE EN, vil jeg give min Vrede Luft.

19 I Nidkærhed, i glødende Vrede udtaler jeg det: Sandelig, på hin Dag skal et vældigt Jordskælv komme over Israels Land;

20 for mit Åsyn skal Havets Fisk, Himmelens Fugle, Markens vilde Dyr og alt kryb på Jorden og alle Mennesker på Jordens Flade skælve, Bjergene skal styrte, Klippevæggene falde og hver Mur synke til Jord.

21 Jeg nedkalder alle ædsler over ham, lyder det fra den Herre HE EN; den enes Sværd skal rettes mod den anden;

22 jeg går i ette med ham med Pest og Blod, med egnskyl og Haglsten; Ild og Svovl lader jeg regne over ham, hans Hobe og de mange Folkeslag, som følger ham.

23 Jeg viser mig stor og hellig og giver mig til Kende for de mange Folks Øjne; og de skal Kende, at jeg er HE EN.

   


The Project Gutenberg Association at Carnegie Mellon University

Bibliorum

 

Ezekiel 28:25

Study

       

25 siger den Herre HE EN: Når jeg samler Israels Slægt fra de Folkeslag, de er spredt iblandt, vil jeg hellige mig på dem for Folkenes Øjne, og de skal bo i deres Land, som jeg gav min Tjener Jakob;


The Project Gutenberg Association at Carnegie Mellon University

from the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg

 

Apocalypse Revealed #3

Studere hoc loco

  
/ 962  
  

3. Which God gave Him to show His servants. This symbolically means, for people who have faith arising from charity, or truths of wisdom arising from the goodness of love.

To show means, symbolically, to make evident, and servants here symbolize people who have faith arising from charity. The following things are made evident to them because they understand and accept.

Servants mean, in the spiritual sense, people who are governed by truths; and because truths spring from goodness, servants mean people who are governed by truths arising from goodness, thus also people governed by wisdom arising from love, because wisdom has to do with truth, and love with goodness. They also are people who have faith arising from charity, because faith, too, has to do with truth, and charity with goodness. And because the spiritual sense in reality is abstracted from person, therefore servants in that sense symbolize truths.

Now because truths, by teaching goodness, serve it, therefore in general, and properly speaking, by a servant in the Word is meant something serving, or someone or something that serves. In this sense not only were prophets called servants of God, but so, too, was the Lord in respect to His humanity.

That prophets were called servants of God is evident from the following passages:

Jehovah has sent to you all His servants the prophets... (Jeremiah 25:4)

...He has revealed His secret to His servants the prophets. (Amos 3:7)

...He has set before us by the hand of His servants the prophets. (Daniel 9:10)

Moses, too, is called a servant of Jehovah (Malachi 4:4). That is because a prophet, in the spiritual sense, means doctrinal truth, as discussed below.

[2] Moreover, because the Lord was the very embodiment of Divine truth, which also is the Word, and for that reason was called the prophet, and because He served in the world and serves all people to eternity by teaching, therefore He, too, is here and there called the servant of Jehovah, as in the following passages:

Of the labor of His soul He shall see; He shall be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many... (Isaiah 53:11)

Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. (Isaiah 52:13)

Behold! My Servant on whom I rest, My Elect. My soul has good pleasure! I have put My Spirit upon Him... (Isaiah 42:1, 19)

These things are said of the Lord. David is spoken of similarly, where by him is meant the Lord, as in the following:

I, Jehovah, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them... (Ezekiel 34:24)

David My servant shall be king over them, so that they all have one shepherd... (Ezekiel 37:24)

I will protect this city to save it, for My sake and for My servant David's sake. (Isaiah 37:35)

So, too, Psalms 78:70-72; 89:3-4, 20. (That by David in these places is meant the Lord, may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem Regarding the Lord, nos. 43, 44.)

The Lord Himself speaks similarly of Himself:

...whoever desires to become great among you must be your attendant, and whoever desires to be first among you must be your servant, even as the Son of Man did not come to be ministered to, but to minister... (Matthew 20:25-28. Cf. Mark 10:42-45, Luke 22:27. So, too, Luke 12:37)

The Lord says this, because by a servant and attendant are meant one who serves and ministers by teaching, and abstractly from person, Divine truth, which He embodied.

[3] Since a servant therefore means someone who teaches Divine truth, it is apparent that servants in this place in the book of Revelation mean people who possess truths arising from goodness, or faith arising from charity, because they are able to teach from the Lord, that is to say, because the Lord is able to teach and minister through them.

It is in this sense that they are called servants in Matthew:

(At the end of the age,) who... is the faithful and prudent servant, whom his lord set over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his lord, when he comes, will find so doing. (Matthew 24:45-46)

And in Luke:

Blessed are those servants whom the lord, when he comes, will find watching. Truly I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will (himself) come and attend to them. (Luke 12:37)

In heaven, all people in the Lord's spiritual kingdom are called His servants, while those in His celestial kingdom are called His ministers. That is because people in His spiritual kingdom are governed by wisdom derived from Divine truth, and those in the celestial kingdom by love derived from Divine good. And good ministers, while truth serves.

In an opposite sense, however, by servants are meant people who serve the devil. These are in a real state of servitude, whereas people who serve the Lord are in a state of freedom - as the Lord also teaches in John 8:31-36. 1

V:

1. Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, 'You will be made free'?" Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. (John 8:31-36)

  
/ 962  
  

Many thanks to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and to Rev. N.B. Rogers, translator, for the permission to use this translation.